Khunan Jargalsaikhan, the Chief Commissioner of the National Human Rights Commission, and the Ts. Adiyakhishig, Director of the Secretariat, discussed and exchanged views with Julia Zajkovski, Senior Protection Officer of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, on November 9, 2023.
While Mongolia has not ratified the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees or the 1967 Protocol to the Convention, it has stated that it is paying close attention to any difficulties with refugees who have crossed the border in terms of humanitarian law and human rights. At the same time, the Commission stressed that cooperation with the UNHCR on refugee rights protection is conceivable.
Ms. Julia Zajkovski indicated a desire to promote long-term cooperation among the stakeholders and is working on developing a strategic plan for the problem of refugee rights. According to this framework, UNHCR prioritizes providing labor opportunities for refugees as well as possibilities for their children to acquire education, health care, and services.
During the meeting, it was decided to organize training for border troop employees and law enforcement agencies on how to protect human rights during climate change and public disasters, including ensuring and protecting refugees' rights, having a unified registry for refugees, conducting regular analyses based on the registration, then identifying the problems they face in protecting their rights, discussing issues such as finding a way out, and strictly protecting refugees' privacy.